Arista eAPI with Python — Lab¶

// containerlab · ceos-lab · python · clone and run

Lab Repository

arista-eapi-python ↗ Containerlab topology, startup config, working code, starter skeleton, and challenge brief.

git clone https://github.com/nextgen-network-academy/arista-eapi-python

Repo structure¶

arista-eapi-python/
├── README.md
├── topo/
│   ├── topology.clab.yml        ← single cEOS node, eAPI pre-enabled
│   └── configs/
│       └── eos1.cfg             ← startup config baked into the device
├── reference/
│   └── eapi_show_version.py     ← complete working solution
├── starter/
│   └── eapi_starter.py          ← skeleton with TODO blocks
├── examples/
│   └── sample_output.json       ← captured eAPI response (offline use)
├── docs/
│   ├── instructor-guide.md      ← walkthrough notes
│   ├── student-challenge.md     ← challenge brief and rubric
│   └── instructor-notes.md      ← answer key and failure modes
├── requirements.txt
├── .env.example
└── .gitignore

Prerequisites¶

Tool	Purpose
Docker	Container runtime
Containerlab	Topology orchestrator — `containerlab.dev`
cEOS-lab image	Free download from `arista.com` (account required), imported as `ceos:4.32.0F`
Python 3.9+	The script

# One-time: import cEOS-lab after downloading from arista.com
docker import cEOS-lab-4.32.0F.tar ceos:4.32.0F
docker images | grep ceos

# Per-project: Python deps
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run it¶

# 1. Bring up the lab
sudo containerlab deploy -t topo/topology.clab.yml

# 2. Configure (defaults already match the lab — no edits needed)
cp .env.example .env

# 3. Run the reference script
python reference/eapi_show_version.py

You should see two GitHub-flavored markdown tables — one of switch facts (show version) and one of interface status — printed straight to your terminal.

(macOS / Windows-WSL2: drop the sudo if your Docker setup doesn't need it.)

Tear down when you're done¶

sudo containerlab destroy -t topo/topology.clab.yml --cleanup

Default lab credentials¶

User	Password
admin	admin

Baked into topo/configs/eos1.cfg for lab convenience. Never reuse these credentials anywhere a real network can reach.

The conceptual walkthrough — REST vs JSON-RPC, anatomy of an eAPI call, and the challenge brief — lives in the Learn section:

→ Learn: Arista eAPI with Python

Lab credentials only

The reference script disables TLS verification (verify=False) so the cEOS-lab self-signed cert works out of the box. Never ship that setting against production switches — it makes Basic Auth credentials trivially interceptable.